Testing, Testing...

I recently received a free bottle of Hellmann's real mayonnaise to test from Influenster.

Now you probably won't understand why I was so excited about getting free mayonnaise to test. I mean some people get cameras and fabric and stuff. But, those people probably don't have a child on the Ketogenic Diet for Epilepsy. This is the brand of mayo that we always use for Owen's recipes!

Rod and I have had a long going argument about which is better... the jar or the squeeze bottle. Rod prefers the squeeze bottle because he says it's easier and less messy to get the exact amount with the squeeze bottle. Remember, we have to weigh out all ingredients to the nearest tenth of a gram (plus or minus 2 tenths). I have always preferred the jar and a mini spatula because the squeeze bottles have a tendency to sputter and send little bits of mayo flying around and because there is always so much left in the bottle at the end that just goes to waste. Well, the new Hellmann's squeeze bottle takes care of my problems!

There is a precision valve tip that keeps globs from coming out at the end and the shape of the bottle lets you get almost all of the mayo out of the bottle (there was a little bit left over that was stuck in the cap, but not more than about 2 grams). Now we are both happy with one product! We loved it so much that we've already bought not one, but TWO new bottles! The only problem I had was that the first squeeze comes out fast, so we have to be careful if we don't get exactly the right amount in the first squeeze. It's hard to get less than 2 grams in one squeeze which, of course, wouldn't be a problem to anyone who isn't on the Ketogenic Diet. It was so easy to control though that we got 5 out of 8 of our batches exactly right on the first try the very first time we used the new bottle and 8 out of 9 exactly spot on the second time I made his food with it.

It's always nice when someone comes out with a product that makes my life easier and this one really does. I feel really weird being so excited about mayonnaise, but seriously it takes us about 2 hours to make a weeks worth of cheese sandwiches for Owen so a 10 minute time savings is a big deal.

Owen's Cheese Sandwich   282 calories  3.5:1 ratio

8g   Egg (raw, mixed well)
8g   Hellmann's/Best Foods mayonnaise
22g Ketocuisine baking mix
14g Tillamook cheddar cheese

Mix  first 3 ingredients together with about 10MLs of water. Add another 5MLs of water, mix again and pour into a silicone mold sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 350F for about 10-15 minutes. Watch carefully because it goes from done to burnt really quickly. Let cool and take out of molds. Put cheese in between "bread" pieces.

We wrap the finished sandwiches in plastic wrap and store them in the freezer for up to a month or 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Owen like them microwaved until the cheese melts. We've also reheated them in a non-stick pan on the stove or a camp stove.

Disclaimer: The Ketogenic diet is a special medical diet and should never be used without Doctor's supervision.
Disclaimer #2: I was given a free bottle of Mayonnaise for testing purposes through Influnster

Jolly Vox Box -Influenster

 I joined Influenster and was given a box a goodies to test and review. Brenna and Devon were eager to help. My box contained candy, make up, tissues, and my favorite surprise of all.

First up was Skinny Cow Candy which received a definite A+ from all three of us. Brenna couldn't even wait until she finished her first one before she was grabbing another. We tried the peanut butter caramel kind. I will most likely be buying more of these soon!

Next we got Rimmel London Show Off Lip Lacquer. I have to say, I don't wear make up often, but I like to once in a while when I dress up. I've tried lip lacquer before and wasn't really impressed, so I wasn't too excited about this. I almost decided to just give it to Devon, but I figured I'd a least try it. I love it. It isn't clumpy at all. It stayed put all through dinner out (Rod's work party). Unfortunately Devon also loves it, so now we get to fight over it until I get a chance to buy another one.

 Then we tried the NYC New York Color HD Color Trio Eye Shadow, this I was excited about since this was something I would have bought myself. It didn't disappoint either. I've worn this a couple of times now. One of the main reasons I don't wear make up all the time is that I hate the feel of it. I honestly didn't even remember I had this shadow on. It is so smooth and silky that I don't even feel it on.

Brenna came back to help test the Puffs mini pack. I love having purse sized tissues on hand because, you know, I have seven kids and I hate wearing snot. Brenna is the one with the drippy nose right now, so she was my best tester. Normally I don't like lotion tissues because we have been known to break out from them. So far, so good with these. They don't stink of perfume like some of the ones we've tried, so hopefully that's a good sign. I can't use them on Owen though with the ketogenic diet carb restrictions since I can't be sure the lotion is alright.

Then we got to my absolute favorite product of all. Seriously, how did I not know that these existed? Purse sized Duck tape Ducklings Mini Rolls.
These are so cute and useful too. Duck has long been the only brand of Duck tape we will buy around here since it holds the best while still ripping off the roll easily. I was afraid that the little ones would be thinner and less sticky than the full sized rolls, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

I've joked before about putting Duck tape over my kids mouths, but Brenna did this all to herself while Devon and I were playing with the make up. I think she likes it too. She was pretty upset when we got to the bottom of the box. I think she'd like more stuff to try out!